2000
#67,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 272
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Ulven
A surname derived from Scandinavian origin, meaning "wolf".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 357 Americans carry the last name Ulven. That puts it at #68,212 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 960,096 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ulven surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
357
1 in 960,096
Census rank
#68,212
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
311
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 311 bearers of the surname Ulven in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 68212th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulven, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ulven
The surname Ulven is of Norwegian origin, derived from the Old Norse word "úlfr," meaning "wolf." This name likely emerged during the Viking Age, between the 8th and 11th centuries, when the Norse people inhabited Scandinavia and parts of Northern Europe.
The name Ulven was initially concentrated in the western coastal regions of Norway, particularly in areas like Rogaland and Hordaland. It is believed that some of the earliest bearers of this name were likely associated with the Vikings or Norse settlers who ventured to other parts of Europe and beyond.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ulven can be found in the Landnámabók, an Icelandic manuscript from the late 12th century, which chronicles the settlement of Iceland by Norse explorers. The name appears as "Úlfr," referring to an early settler from Norway.
In the 13th century, a Norwegian chieftain named Ulven Gudmundsson is mentioned in the Icelandic Annals, a historical record of events in Iceland during the medieval period. This suggests that the name had gained prominence among the Norse nobility and ruling classes.
During the Middle Ages, the name Ulven also appeared in various forms in other Nordic countries, such as Sweden and Denmark, reflecting the cultural and linguistic connections between the Scandinavian regions.
Notable individuals with the surname Ulven include:
1. Ludvig Ulven (1841-1914), a Norwegian writer and poet known for his works depicting rural life in Norway.
2. Ragnhild Ulven (1908-1995), a Norwegian author and children's book writer who received the prestigious Riksmål Society Prize in 1954.
3. Tor Ulven (1953-1995), a Norwegian poet and novelist whose works explored themes of existentialism and human relationships.
4. Unni Ulven (born 1957), a Norwegian author and playwright who has received several literary awards, including the Brage Prize in 2008.
5. Ida Ulven (born 1978), a Norwegian author and literary critic whose debut novel "Ung åpning" (Young Opening) was published in 2018.
While the surname Ulven may have evolved over time and spread to other parts of the world through migration, its origins can be traced back to the Norse culture and settlements in Norway during the Viking Age and the early medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ulven
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulven, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ulven bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ulven surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 285
- Two or more races4.2% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 4
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ulven
Ulven appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#67,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 292
+20 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 206 places
2020
#68,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 311
+19 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 693 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #67,725 | 272 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #67,519 | 292 | 0.10 | +20 bearers (+7.4%) | Up 206 places |
| 2020 | #68,212 | 311 | 0.10 | +19 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 693 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ulven surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #67,519 | #68,212 | -1.0% |
| Count | 292 | 311 | 6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.10 | 4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ulven bearers went from 292 to 311 (+6.5% change). The surname moved down 693 positions in the national ranking, going from #67,519 to #68,212.
FAQ
Ulven surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ulven?
Name Census estimates that about 357 living Americans carry the surname Ulven. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 960,096 residents.
How common is Ulven?
Ulven ranks #68,212 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 311 people with the surname Ulven. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (357), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ulven.
Has Ulven become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ulven went from 292 recorded bearers to 311. That is an increase of 19 (+6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #67,519 to #68,212.
What does the Census say about the background of Ulven?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulven, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ulven in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (285 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ulven appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (2.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ulven (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ulven mean?
A surname derived from Scandinavian origin, meaning "wolf". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ulven (0.10 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Ulven?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.